


Birthday Gift

by still_lycoris



Category: X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) - Fandom
Genre: Birthday, Fluff, Gen, Parent-Child Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-28
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-09-12 21:25:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9091378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/still_lycoris/pseuds/still_lycoris
Summary: Peter doesn't mind if Erik doesn't come to his birthday party. Honest.





	

Peter woke up on his birthday with butterflies in his stomach.

It was dumb. He was twenty-eight, birthdays weren’t exactly a big deal when you were twenty-eight. Hell, Mom had ignored the last three of birthdays and he’d been pretty much okay with that. He could get the stuff he wanted himself without her having to waste her money after all.

But it was different here. Here, everyone wanted to make a fuss – probably because his new friends were mostly younger than him and wanted excuses to play about, which Peter thought was pretty cool. They’d all wanted to know something that he wanted and hey, Peter was up for that because presents were good.

Only, the thing he _really_ wanted wasn’t really ... well, you couldn’t exactly buy it.

He’d sort of hinted about it to the Professor. And since the Professor was a telepath, that was kind of like actually saying it out loud. And he’d written a letter and Mystique had said she’d post it and well, that was something, wasn’t it? And hey, if it didn’t happen, well, it didn’t happen, it wasn’t like he _cared_. He was a grown up and what kind of grown up wanted his Dad at his birthday party anyway?

Well. Maybe a guy who hadn’t ever really known his Dad.

No point thinking about that right now. He might never see the guy again so no point worrying about what he hadn’t said when there were probably actual presents to be opened! Maybe some cool presents too. He’d get up and open them and get everyone to be cool with him because it was his birthday and he wouldn’t expect anything else.

As he’d expected, the others greeted him with real glee, chucking presents at him and chatting about the party they were going to have that night. They were good presents too, music and a new jacket that was going to look great when he’d added a few badges to it. Even Mom had sent him something. Yeah, it was a pretty good haul – and everyone was excited about the party, which was cool. Professor Xavier and Doctor McCoy seemed to be pulling out all the stops and when Peter nipped into the room for a secret look, he had to admit that the decorations looked pretty – and the buffet looked great.

_Eat it before the evening and get locked out of your own party_ Professor Xavier told him but he sounded like he was amused, so that was okay too. Everything was going to be fine, only ...

_No news is good news, Peter_ the Professor said now and his voice was kind. _Erik knows, that’s all I can say_.

Peter decided to pretend that he hadn’t heard. Sometimes, it was a little embarrassing to have people able to hear your thoughts. 

He refrained from going into the room again till the party though, just in case the Prof _did_ ban him. Besides, sometimes, it was a bit fun to wait for stuff. He’d never really believed that before but since coming here, he’d kind of begun to see it, at least a little. 

The party was great. The kids were dancing and eating and chatting. Peter made them laugh by showing them epically fast dance moves, zipping about the dance floor. He wasn’t quite sure it impressed the ladies the way he would have liked it to but hey, it was always nice to entertain at least. Then Mystique made him dance more slowly with her, which was kind of cool and maybe a bit hot, although the Professor gave him a rather dark look and after that Peter did his best to stop thinking about anything regarding Mystique’s potential hotness.

He was eating his third slice of cake and trying not to snigger at Scott and Jean dancing together in a slightly awkward way when the Professor spoke in his mind.

_Would you nip down to the kitchen and get us some more lemonade? You’re so much quicker than everyone else after all._

_I’m the birthday boy!_ he thought back. _Get Kurt to go!_

He saw the Professor wince from all the way across the room. Obviously he’d thought a little too loudly. Guiltily, he sprang up and shot out of the room. He always thought too loudly when replying to the telepaths – or too quickly. Jean said that his mind drove her crazy, everything going on and on at two hundred miles an hour. When he tried to slow it down, he always got loud, one of the things he just wasn’t great at right now. He was learning though, right? He was trying not to be a disappointment.

Lemonade on the table, next to Erik, okay, grab the bottle, wait, _what?_

He skidded to a stop, then threw himself back into the kitchen. Erik was staring at the table where the bottle of lemonade had just been, blinking slightly. He turned and looked at Peter and blushed, very slightly.

“Hello Peter.”

“Um,” Peter managed intelligently. “Hello. Yeah. You ... you’re here.”

“Well,” Erik said with a small shrug. “Yes. Charles told me that it’s your birthday. I thought ... you should have a present.”

He held out a small wrapped box. Peter swallowed, suddenly feeling slower than he ever had before. He reached out and carefully took it, fumbling a little with the paper. Erik looked awkward.

“You ... you may not ... I just thought I should bring you something. I thought it might be better than ... than some of ... other things.”

Peter opened the open and looked at the watch inside, carefully made of delicately twisted metal. Erik was looking more awkward than ever.

“It probably doesn’t suit your ... look. It’s not ... I’m sorry.”

“No,” Peter blurted out. “No, it’s ... it’s great. T-thanks ... thank you.”

Erik blinked, then smiled, one of those odd, slightly fragile smiles that Peter thought only a few people had ever seen. He reached out and the watch lifted, then gently fastened itself around Peter’s wrist.

“I’m not coming to the party,” he said firmly. “I don’t dance. Nor do I like cake very much.”

“That’s cool,” Peter said. “I don’t ... I mean ... they won’t miss me for a bit. We could ... talk?”

For a moment, he half-expected Erik to laugh at him or tell him not to be silly. But Erik looked ... almost pleased.

“Yes,” he said. “Why not?”

Peter wasn’t going to say it was his best birthday present. Not given how damn cool the jacket was. But he had to say, sitting down with his father and being able to pour him a lemonade ... well.

That was pretty damn cool.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for 12dayschristmas 2016


End file.
